Fisher happy to be at FSU, looks toward building

Published: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 03:30 PM.

Usually that silliness manifests itself in quirky superstitions like rally caps and lucky underwear. Social media, however, is where absurdity can reach preposterous levels.

Twitter was ablaze Saturday night as Florida State and Florida squared off at Doak Campbell Stadium in a highly anticipated football game. Gator fans were elated early in the game as UF built a 13-point lead in the second quarter, and FSU supporters expressed their outrage over the Seminoles’ slow start. The roles were reversed when FSU rallied in the third quarter to take the lead, and they reversed again when Florida took control in the fourth quarter and sealed its hard-fought win.

FSU fans during and after the game directed most of their anger and hostility at Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher and quarterback EJ Manuel, both of whom would admit readily they could have performed better in the 37-26 loss. It’s a cautionary tale to pay too much attention to a vocal minority, though, particularly those who believe Fisher should be fired despite the fact he has restored the program’s credibility on a national scale and collected 29 wins in three seasons. He also has his team positioned to win an Atlantic Coast Conference title if the Seminoles defeat Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship on Saturday (7 p.m. CST) in Charlotte, N.C.

Fisher had some news for those frustrated followers on Monday, even if he wasn’t speaking to them directly. He isn’t going anywhere, and he shooed away talk that he might fill a coaching vacancy in the Southeastern Conference.

“I’m very happy here,” Fisher said. “We’re building something special, we have great players, we have great players coming to be here, and my family loves the community.”

Reminded that Alabama coach Nick Saban once said similar words as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Fisher laughed off the comparison.

Usually that silliness manifests itself in quirky superstitions like rally caps and lucky underwear. Social media, however, is where absurdity can reach preposterous levels.

Twitter was ablaze Saturday night as Florida State and Florida squared off at Doak Campbell Stadium in a highly anticipated football game. Gator fans were elated early in the game as UF built a 13-point lead in the second quarter, and FSU supporters expressed their outrage over the Seminoles’ slow start. The roles were reversed when FSU rallied in the third quarter to take the lead, and they reversed again when Florida took control in the fourth quarter and sealed its hard-fought win.

FSU fans during and after the game directed most of their anger and hostility at Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher and quarterback EJ Manuel, both of whom would admit readily they could have performed better in the 37-26 loss. It’s a cautionary tale to pay too much attention to a vocal minority, though, particularly those who believe Fisher should be fired despite the fact he has restored the program’s credibility on a national scale and collected 29 wins in three seasons. He also has his team positioned to win an Atlantic Coast Conference title if the Seminoles defeat Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship on Saturday (7 p.m. CST) in Charlotte, N.C.

Fisher had some news for those frustrated followers on Monday, even if he wasn’t speaking to them directly. He isn’t going anywhere, and he shooed away talk that he might fill a coaching vacancy in the Southeastern Conference.

“I’m very happy here,” Fisher said. “We’re building something special, we have great players, we have great players coming to be here, and my family loves the community.”

Reminded that Alabama coach Nick Saban once said similar words as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Fisher laughed off the comparison.

“To say you’re never going to move in this business, you can’t say that,” Fisher said. “It’s inevitable. There are too many things that go on. But I am very happy here. I’m content, and I want to be here.”

More perplexing, perhaps, is fans lashing out at Manuel, a fifth-year senior who has performed as well as or better than any quarterback at FSU since Chris Weinke last strapped on a helmet for the Seminoles in 2000. Some onlookers apparently have forgotten Chris Rix, Drew Weatherford, Xavier Lee and others. Manuel has enjoyed more success than the quarterback he supplanted, Christian Ponder, and he’s the better pro prospect, too. He demonstrated his toughness when he re-entered the Florida game shortly after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Manuel, who remains the eighth-best quarterback nationally in terms of passer efficiency rating, is expected to contend for a first-round draft pick in April’s NFL Draft. He measures 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, and he has become a steady pocket passer who can use his legs to supplement his superior arm strength. Critics may point to costly turnovers against Florida and North Carolina State this year, but he deserves credit for taking on even more responsibility in the offense since running back Chris Thompson suffered a season-ending knee injury against Miami. Though he never garnered serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy, Manuel’s importance within FSU’s offense this season can’t be understated.

Manuel said he suffered a head injury against Florida in the fourth quarter — his fumble and turnover on the play proved crucial — and he said he has had no lingering effects. He said he got hit just behind his jaw on the play, and he noted that he passed the tests trainers were giving him on the sideline to determine whether he had suffered a concussion. Manuel competed to the game’s final whistle, scoring a touchdown on a 22-yard scramble on the final play of the fourth quarter.

“They would have had to hold me down,” Manuel said, “to keep me from going back out there.”

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